Dispatch 003: Two months with the S9: a retrospective

May 21

Earlier this year, I was looking for a camera to replace my Fuji X100V. I needed it to be compact, full-frame, and shoot stellar photos and video. So, in March, I rented the S9 for my kids’ spring break and never looked back. But now that I’ve had it for a few months, do I regret my decision?

Let’s break it down.

The Good

1) Image Quality — Let’s start with the obvious: the image quality of this camera is so good. It was great returning to a full-frame sensor, and while 24.2 MPs isn’t mind-blowing, the stills the camera produces are very nice, and the 6k open gate video is like nothing I’ve ever shot before.

2) Image stabilization — Coming from the IBIS-less Fuji X100V, having stabilization is amazing. The S9’s IBIS really shines through for me when I’m running around shooting video of my kiddos. 10/10 would recommend.

3) Battery Life - The battery life is good. Really good. I’ve only had one battery for my S9 for these first two months. I charge it every few days and have never gotten close to killing a complete charge.

4) The Lumix Lab App and Real Time LUT - These features are really fun, to be honest. They can make content creation a breeze if you find the right LUTs.

5) The Size - When I bought the S9, I was looking for a compact everyday camera to replace my Fuji while still shooting great photos and video. I’m still on the hunt for a great compact lens to complement the S9’s small body, but the Sigma 45mm and a handful of old Pentax lenses I have work with the camera nicely.

The Bad

1) Lack of EVF - Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Yes, I’m talking about the S9’s lack of EVF. This is by far my least favorite thing about the camera. The flip-out screen is nice, don’t get me wrong, but I like the way an EVF blocks out the rest of the world and lets you focus only on the frame you are capturing. I also shoot in bright conditions with manual focus lenses, so I heavily rely on focus peaking. Sometimes it can be difficult to see critical focus on the back screen when shooting in the afternoon sun.

2) Lack of Hot Shoe - The S9 also lacks a hot shoe. I’m not usually looking to attach a flash, but being able to attach a mic or EVF to the hot shoe would be a nice option. Oh well.

3) Electronic Shutter—I read many reviews before I bought the S9, and many people loved to point out that the camera’s electronic shutter would cause a rolling shutter when shooting fast-moving subjects. I’m not using this camera for professional shoots, so the rolling shutter doesn’t bother me that much.

3) Back Screen Articulation Range of Motion - The back screen is bright and pretty easy to read, but I wish it articulated straight up from the back position like some of the newer Lumix cameras do. This would make it a lot less noticeable when shooting street scenes than the way I shoot them now which is with the back screen out to the side, facing up.

4) Ergonomics - This camera looks really cool, but using it without a grip feels almost impossible. I’ve been using a grip since the day I bought it, and while it helps, I still have to use two hands to press some of the buttons (like Real Time LUT), which is a little bummer. It would be nice to use the camera one-handed when you need to grab a shot in a rush.